One of American cinema’s most oddly-popular pairs pummels pop culture in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” The movie follows cult-favorite characters Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) in their first true starring role. The pair is definitely not your average leading men.
Mewes’s Jay is a white, suburban pot-peddler who speaks like he emerged from a gangsta-rap song. He is crude and foul-mouthed, and he never shuts up. Fittingly, his partner-in-crime (literally) is Silent Bob. Bob can talk, but chooses not to. He simply reacts, usually by rolling his eyes, to Jay’s constant chatter.
The characters got their start in Kevin Smith’s low-budget comedy “Clerks.” From there, they appeared in Smith’s next two films “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy,” as well as a cameo in “Scream 3.”
They graduated to semi-star status in Smith’s 1999 release “Dogma” alongside bigger stars like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, and George Carlin. This time around, Jay and Bob are the main focus.
The movie also incorporates plot lines and characters from Smith’s first three movies, allowing for lots of inside jokes. The plot is an offshoot from “Chasing Amy.”
In “Amy,” Ben Affleck plays Holden McNeill, a comic book artist who creates a hugely popular comic based on Jay and Bob called “Bluntman and Chronic.” The book focuses on two marijuana-loving superheros.
In this movie, McNeill’s partner Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) now owns all the rights to the book and has sold the movie rights without consulting Jay and Bob. In addition, comic book fans are insulting Jay and Bob on the internet.
The stoner duo decides to save its reputation and stop the movie from getting made. The ensuing adventure involves their road trip from New Jersey to Hollywood.
The looseness of the plot allows for lots of parodies of recent Hollywood blockbusters. That is where this movie shines.
It incorporates take-offs on a wide array of topics, including “Charlie’s Angels,” “Star Wars,” “The X-Files,” “Scooby-Doo,” and “Good Will Hunting,” as well as comic book movies in general.
The cameos are also numerous and quick. Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Chris Rock, George Carlin, and Matt Damon all appear in the film. However, none upstage Mewes and Smith.
Mewes’s outrageously crude rants are well-written and funny. However, Smith’s Silent Bob is the true comic gem of this movie. Smith’s face is very expressive, and he uses it to maximum effect. The few times he does speak, he brings the scene to a full boil.
Smith has deemed this movie the last hurrah of Jay and Silent Bob. It is a shame he plans to retire the characters, but he definitely sends them out guns (and blunts) blazing.
